A Friendship Caught On Fire
by photogirl894
Summary: All her life, Hanna has borne her secret love for Bard, who has been her best friend since their adolescence, but she has only ever been just a friend to him. She stuck by him even when he was married and had children and even after his wife's death. Will Bard ever come to love her, too? What will become of them when a group of Dwarves arrive and a dragon attacks? A Bard/OC story!
1. Look to the Trees

**Well, hello there, dear readers! :)**

 **Oh my goodness, what am I doing? I find myself swamped with three fanfics and then what do I do? I go ahead and start another one! I must be out of my mind xD**

 **I found myself drawn to the idea of a Bard/OC story because I just really love Bard (I mean, seriously, the man is gorgeous! xD) and I thought it would be interesting to have another take on the Hobbit story!**

 **So I hope you all enjoy this first chapter! :)**

 **.**

In a land far to the East of Middle-Earth, there was the small town of Esgaroth, or otherwise known as Laketown. This was a town of simple fisherman and merchants; a poor yet still thriving town that made do with what they had. This place was built upon the great Long Lake that was set just on the borders of the Elven kingdom of Mirkwood and the great Dwarven mountain kingdom of Erebor. However, there had been no Dwarves living in the mountain for hundreds of years on account of a mighty dragon known as Smaug taking siege of it and stealing their home as well as their treasure from them. For the past sixty years of that time, the dragon had slept, but the people of Laketown were not without fear of the day when the dragon would wake and come upon them next.

In this small town on a lake, there lived a young girl named Hanna.

Hanna was a fair-looking girl with light brown eyes, long, brown hair and a bright smile that could lighten any room. However, she was pretty shy and wasn't always very social with others unless prompted to be or she felt comfortable around them. If in the right mood or if around someone she felt at ease with, she wouldn't be afraid to speak her mind, but oftentimes, that took a bit of time.

She was the daughter of a bargeman named Hyman and a seamstress named Hilda Bianca. Like most the people in the town, they weren't that rich, but there were still pretty well to do. They had at least enough to help them get by for a while. Hyman was the bargeman who helped bring in the empty barrels sent down the river from Mirkwood, refill them and then get them sent back. That itself brought in a decent amount of income to help the family. Hilda helped bring in extra money by working as a seamstress.

Unlike most of the lake people, Hanna didn't always enjoy being on the water and so far from land. Moreover, she was content, but still wanted to try and get on land more often when she old enough. On occasion, she and her parents would take a boat and spend an afternoon or an evening on the shores of the Long Lake playing games or exploring or even just sitting around a campfire enjoying a meal or telling stories. Those were family times Hanna enjoyed the most.

When she was about twelve years of age, her father taught her how to row the boat on her own so she could start going to shore on her own whenever she liked. She was a responsible and trustworthy girl, so her father was all right with letting her do things by herself. Once she learned how to row a boat on her own, she started going to the mainland whenever she could get the chance. In her spare time, she would skip rocks across the water, read, sketch, go fishing, revisit old spots she and her parents had discovered, sleep on the sand or—her favorite—climb the trees. If possible, she would climb to the very top of a tree and overlook everything below. She felt free and as though she could rule the world from such a height.

One day, when she was fifteen, Hanna had gone to the shores and was once again up in the trees, looking out over the lake. It was quiet out save for the light chirping of the birds that flew overhead. The wind was weaving its way through her long, brunette locks and softly caressing her face. She closed her eyes, enjoying the soothing feeling.

But then the silence was broken by a voice crying out, "Hello, there!"

Hanna's eyes shot open and she let out a startled cry. As she did, her foot slipped on the branch she was standing on and she started to fall down the tree. She had only hit a couple of branches on the way down when she was able to grab hold of one to stop her fall. As she hoisted herself up onto the branch, a figure suddenly came swooping down from the branches and onto the one next to hers, making her gasp.

It was a young boy who appeared to be around her age. He was thin, had ruffled, shaggy black hair that came just above his shoulders, grey eyes, a square-like jaw and was wearing a light tan coat with a fur collar over his simple dark clothing. Slung over his shoulder was a dark knapsack. The look on his face was full of surprise when he crouched down on his branch, holding onto the one above his head with one hand.

"I am so sorry, miss! I didn't mean to frighten you!" he exclaimed, looking embarrassed. His voice had a tenor-like sound to it; it wasn't quite deep yet but it wasn't a very high-pitched voice like younger boys would have. It was in the in-between stages of voice changing, which meant he definitely he was a growing, teenage boy.

Hanna was hesitant to answer at first. She averted her eyes away and mumbled in return, "You didn't frighten me…you just startled me. I thought I was alone."

"I could see that," the boy responded. "I could see your eyes were closed and you looked so peaceful; you seemed so lost in thought, it was no wonder you never heard me come up the tree." Then he began to chuckle at her.

Hanna herself even chuckled a little herself. "Normally, there's no one else here when I come so I do tend to lose myself in thought sometimes," she said.

"I don't blame you. I do, too," said the boy.

She looked back up at him, a bit perplexed. "You've been coming here, as well?" When he nodded, she then asked, "For how long?"

He shrugged and replied, "A long time now, I suppose."

Hanna straightened up against the trunk of the tree so she could face the boy. "So have I," she told him. "How is it I have never seen you?"

He shrugged again. "I don't know." Then he smirked and said, "But you see me _now_!"

She giggled at his enthusiasm, which was strange for her, because no one had ever made her giggle like she did so quickly after meeting them.

"What's your name?" asked the boy.

"Hanna. What is yours?"

He smiled. "My name is Bard." He then held out a hand to her.

Timidly, she reached out, took his hand and shook it. "How old are you, Bard?"

"I am sixteen," he answered. "And you?"

"Fifteen," she replied.

"Oh, I'm older than you by a year," Bard pointed out.

Hanna was unsure of how to respond so she simply lowered her eyes and said nothing.

Noticing her shyness, Bard said to her, "You do not like to say much, do you?"

She hesitated looking back at him, but still shook her head.

"It's all right, there's no need to be shy around me, Hanna," he said calmly. "I am a friendly person, I won't hurt you."

This time, she did look up at him and saw him giving her a warm, comforting smile. At seeing that, she felt her own mouth starting to curve up into a smile, too.

Then he reached into his knapsack and pulled out a red apple. "Would you like an apple?" he offered.

She nodded, thanking him, and he handed the apple over to her before pulling another one out for himself.

"Are you from Laketown?" asked Hanna before she took a bite.

"Aye, I am," Bard answered.

"How is it that I have never seen you until now? It's a small town; it's hard not to know almost everyone."

"I was a sickly boy when I was younger. I did not leave the house much; I was always in bed."

"Oh…I am sorry."

"It's all right. I got better as I got older and then I was able to go outside and build up my strength. That was a few years ago and I'm fine now."

She chuckled. "Obviously, since you were able to climb these trees."

He snickered as he took a bite from his apple. When he finished chewing, he asked, "How often do you come ashore?"

She bobbed her head from side to side in thought. "Just whenever I get the chance," she said. "I sometimes help my mother or my father with their work and that can take up time, but whenever I get some time to myself, I like to come here."

"Do you think you will be here tomorrow?"

Hanna looked at Bard curiously. "Why do you ask?"

Once again, he shrugged as he replied, "Well, I should be on my way home about now, but I just thought…it would be nice to maybe see you here again. Despite the short time, I've enjoyed talking to you."

She was a bit surprised to hear that. Because of how shy she could be, she didn't have very many friends and not many children her age liked to talk to her. But this boy was different; he didn't mind that she was timid and didn't question why she was that way like other children would. He encouraged her not to be instead of shunning her for it. And he said he enjoyed her company; he enjoyed talking to her. He was quite an interesting boy, in her opinion, but nevertheless, the thought of possibly seeing him again the next day and talking with him seemed…quite pleasant.

In answer to his question, she said nothing but simply smiled her bright smile at him, which he took as a good sign.

Bard put his apple back in his sack, stood up and, with a courteous nod, said to Hanna, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Hanna, and I hope to see you tomorrow."

Hanna nodded back and responded, "The feeling is mutual, Bard, on both counts."

Bard smiled politely at her and then proceeded to jump down to the next branch and swung himself down all the way to the ground. Hanna moved to the outer edge of the tree where she watched him walk to his boat sitting close to hers on the bank. He climbed into his rowboat and pushed off into the water. Still standing up, he picked up an oar and began to row.

As he started to row away, she thought of one last thing she wanted to say to him. "Bard!" she cried out. When he looked back at her, she grinned and said loudly, "If you get here and can't find me...look to the trees! That's where I'll most likely be!"

Bard shouted back, "I will remember that!" Then he asked playfully, "What if I get here before you?"

Hanna responded likewise, "Then _I_ will look to the trees! Is that where you'll be?"

He grinned. "Aye...that's where I'll be," he said.

"Then until tomorrow!" she cried.

Bard put his fingertips to his temple and then gave her a farewell salute. "Until tomorrow!" he repeated. Then with that, he resumed rowing home.

Hanna watched him a little while longer, smiled and then looked down at the apple Bard had given her.

"Until tomorrow...," she repeated to herself and then took a big juicy bite out of the delicious fruit.

* * *

After spending a little bit longer on land, Hanna decided it was time to head back home. She rowed her boat back to her house on the lake, tied it up and then went inside. The outside door led into their family room adjacent to the kitchen.

"Mama! I'm home!" she called out.

Hilda, her mother, came out from the kitchen and smiled as she saw her daughter. Hilda was wearing a cream-colored blouse with a darker over-shirt, a floor-length dark gray skirt and deep purple, fingerless gloves. On her head, covering her black hair, she wore a blue beaded cap that had tassels on both sides. It was her signature accessory that a lot of people knew her by.

Hanna loved her mother very much. Having hardly any friends, she had spent a lot of time at home and got to grow close to her mother over time. Hilda was a good, strong-willed woman who, a bit unlike her daughter, wasn't afraid to speak her mind, even if she knew it could get her in trouble. She hoped that one day, that particular trait would rub off on her daughter.

"Hello, darling!" she said to Hanna as she came into the room. "I haven't seen you much. Did you go on shore again today?"

"Aye, I did," Hanna replied. "And there was someone else there this time."

"Oh?" Hilda said, tilting her head with curiosity.

"It was a boy," said Hanna.

"A boy?" Hilda repeated, now even more interested. "Who?"

"His name is Bard."

"Bard...oh, I think I may know his parents! He's about your age, isn't he?"

"He's only a year older. He told me that he's been traveling to shore for quite a while, too, but I've never seen him. He must have been going at different times than when I would go or he goes farther ashore than I do."

"Did you talk to him much?"

"A little bit. We didn't speak for very long because he had to leave."

"Oh, I see. What did you think of him?"

Hanna shrugged as she sat herself down on a chair, unsure of what to say. "He seemed...pleasant," she told her mother, drumming her fingers on her thigh.

"That is good," said Hilda.

"He wants to meet me again tomorrow," Hanna added.

Hilda's eyebrows rose up. "Really? Are you going to?" she asked.

"I think I will," Hanna answered. "Bard seemed friendly enough, even in the brief time we spent talking to each other. I wouldn't mind meeting with him again."

Hilda then smirked at her daughter and asked her, "Was he handsome?"

Hanna whipped her around in disbelief. "Mama!" she exclaimed.

"What? It was only a simple question."

"I barely know him!"

"You do not have to know someone to still think they're handsome."

Hanna was about to say something back, but then realized that her mother did have a point. She thought back to when she first saw Bard; his sweet smile, his ruffled hair, his mysterious gray eyes like the sea after a storm. She hadn't really thought about it at the time, but...she had to admit that Bard was indeed very handsome.

"I see that smile, my dear...!"

She came out of her thoughts and saw her mother was grinning cheekily at her. She hadn't realized that, while she was thinking of Bard, she was beginning to smile. She blushed and turned away, making Hilda snicker.

"You know, you _are_ approaching the appropriate age for courting," she hinted.

"Mama, please...!" said Hanna. "I'm not thinking about courting _anybody_ , especially a boy I just met and don't know."

Hilda gave a nod in defeat. "All right," she said, holding her hands up.

Hanna then continued, "Besides, I would rather get to know a man and be friends with him first before I ever think of courting him."

"Well...as I said, I know his parents and they are very amiable people," Hilda pointed out. "If Bard is anything like them...he may turn out to be an excellent suitor for you in years to come."

Hanna just snickered at her mother and rolled her eyes. "Can I please, at least, get to know him first, Mama, before you suddenly marry me off to him; a boy I _just_ met?" she asked.

Her mother just grinned teasingly in response before waving her hand and saying, "Come on, dear, let's get things ready for supper. Your father will be home soon."

Gladly, Hanna followed her mother into the kitchen and began gathering all the things they needed to cook supper. All the while, her mind strangely kept wandering back to Bard and she found herself actually looking forward to the next day when she could see him again.

.

 **It'll be fun to see where this all goes, huh? ;)**

 **So now I'm really sunk...cuz this means my story is official and I now have FOUR fanfics to worry aobut xD but oh well! Each one is an adventure! :D**

 **Yea or nay? Leave me a review or send me a PM with your thoughts! :D**

 **Until next time!**

 **PS: Ya'll know the lady in BotFA who argues with Alfrid a lot? Calls him a weasel? Yeah, apparently her character has a name...and it's Hilda Bianca! If you didn't figure it out from her description, THAT lady is Hanna's mother! xD I liked her in BotFA; I thought she was awesome, so I thought it would be fun to really include her in this! xD**


	2. Genuine Interest

**A very happy welcome and greeting to you all! :)**

 **I am so excited because it's the beginning of summer break for me! :D I don't have a whole ton planned except for working a part-time summer job and then a couple small trips or events here and there but, other than that, it should be a pretty relaxing summer :) I DO plan to do a lot of writing for my stories in this time as well ;D**

 **Sorry this took a little while for me to get up xD I was unsure of how to make things go in this chapter and I had a couple of ideas, but eventually nixed a couple of them. But otherwise, I hope you guys enjoy it :)**

 **.**

Bard woke up early the next morning, having slept pretty soundly during the night. He had wanted to be up early so he could get to the mainland quickly and get there before Hanna did. For some reason, he just wanted to get there before her and surprise her.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was just something about the girl that interested him; he wanted to spend time with her. He noticed how timid she was at first and another time or two during their conversation, which made him think that maybe she didn't have very many friends. That was something that made him a bit sad. Everyone should have a friend, which was his belief. Granted, Bard didn't have hardly any friends himself either, having been kept at home so much as a child because he was ill so often. Not many of the other children in the town were very familiar with him yet. So he felt that he and Hanna were a bit alike in that way. He felt that perhaps the two of _them_ could be friends. At least, if _she_ wanted to.

He figured he would find that out if she chose to actually meet him on the mainland.

Quietly, he got dressed, filled his bag with some food and also grabbed his bow and quiver of arrows. A couple years past, he had told his father he wanted to learn to be an archer, so his father taught him first how to craft his own bow, bought him some arrows and then taught him how to shoot. Part of what Bard did when he went on land was he practiced his shooting. He practiced on trees, birds and even some targets that he made himself. If he got there before Hanna, he thought he could get in some practice while he waited.

Bard snuck silently out of the house while his parents were still asleep so as to not disturb them. After putting his things in his boat, he hopped in and started rowing across the lake. He could see the sun was starting to rise on the horizon and the birds were chirping merrily like always. He enjoyed the sounds of the morning when everything was so serene outside. It made him feel calm inside.

After some minutes, he got to shore and he jumped over his boat into the shallow water, splashing his boots. He jogged up to shore and looked around for Hanna. He could see no sign of her around. Then he remembered what she had told him the day before: _"Look to the trees"_.

However, just as he was about to look up, he spotted something on the ground just in front of the trunk of a tree. He walked to it, bent over and picked it up.

It was a brown apple core.

"Thank you again for the apple!"

Bard heard the voice above him. He looked up and found Hanna sitting on a branch just over his head, grinning down at him. She was wearing a lavender dress with a dark blue jacket and her hair was done up in a braid.

"It was delicious, in case you wanted to know," she added.

Bard's mouth hung open in bewilderment, astonished that, even at this early hour, Hanna was actually there. He had been so sure he would be the first one there!

"Oh, blast!" he exclaimed. When Hanna gave him a puzzled look, he said, "I thought I was going to get here before you!"

Hanna laughed. "It seems you and I both had the same idea," she told him.

"How long have you been here?" he asked, tossing the apple core over his shoulder.

"Not very long," she answered.

He looked up at her, grinning to himself still about the fact he hadn't beaten her there. "Are you coming down or shall I come up there?" he asked.

"Which would you prefer?" Hanna asked in return.

Bard didn't answer, but simply gave her a crooked smirk in reply and began to climb the branches up towards her. "I was wondering if you were even going to come," he said.

She responded, "Why wouldn't I have come?"

As he pushed himself up onto the branch parallel to hers, he said back, "I don't know...we barely know each other and I thought that you might have felt uncomfortable meeting with someone you don't know."

"I felt that way just a little at first," she admitted, "but I came around to the idea. You're young like me and you seemed decent enough, so I saw nothing wrong with coming."

"Well, I am glad you thought so," said Bard. Then he asked politely, "Did you sleep well?"

For some reason, Hanna thought that was somewhat of an odd question to ask, but nevertheless she answered, "Aye, I did. How about you?"

Bard stretched out his to arms to his sides, brought them up behind his head, closed his eyes and sighed, almost proudly, "I slept like a little baby!"

"Is that so?" Hanna asked, chuckling, fiddling with a leaf she pulled from the branch.

Without opening his eyes, he replied, "Yes, indeed."

The two of them then sat silently for a few moments, not sure of what to do or say next.

Bard then opened his eyes, turned his head to face Hanna and asked, "Do you have parents? Forgive me if that may seem rude...I ask because I know not everyone does and I do not wish to assume or say anything wrong."

Hanna nodded in understanding and then responded, "I do, yes. My father is the town bargeman and my mother is a seamstress."

"Oh, yes, I've seen your father at times when he arrives with the cargo from the Woodland Realm," Bard told her.

"Aye, that's my papa," she said, looking down at the leaf in her hands and smiling gladly. She loved her father and knew he did well in taking care of their family. He was paid decently for his work and he always did what he could to provide for them. He loved his wife dearly and he cherished Hanna above all other things.

"Does he enjoy being a bargeman?" Bard then inquired.

She shrugged. "Most days, he does. When there are storms or the river rises from heavy rainfall; those are times he is not always fond of his work."

"That, I can understand. And your mother? Does she enjoy what she does?"

"Very much so. She enjoys sewing and knitting already and will do it in her spare time, but she loves it even more when she can do it as a service for others. My mama loves helping other people when she can; she is very selfless. She will make clothes and blankets, patch a hole in someone's shirt or trousers; whatever anyone needs done, she can do it."

"She sounds like a very skilled woman."

"Aye, I would say she is."

"And what of you? What are some things _you_ are skilled at?"

Hanna was a bit reluctant to answer. She didn't like to talk about herself in that way because it made her feel like she was boasting about herself.

Noticing her hesitation, Bard tried again, "Come on, there must be something you are good at!"

"I don't know...," Hanna muttered.

"Well, are you good at sewing like your mother?" he asked, thinking he could try listing some things to get her to talk.

"She's teaching me how to, so I am learning," she said back. "I wouldn't really say I've excelled at it yet."

"That will happen with time," he said encouragingly. "What about things like singing or dancing, drawing, any sort of craftsmanship?"

She thought about it for a moment and then finally said with slight timidness, "I do like to sketch sometimes..."

"You see? That's something!" he exclaimed. "May I see your work?"

"I didn't bring my sketchbook with me," she told him.

"Then perhaps another time," he suggested.

Hanna then noticed the bow and quiver of arrows on Bard's back. "I take it you do archery?" she asked him, motioning to the bow with her head.

Bard nodded proudly. "I like to practice my shooting when I come here," he told her.

"How long have you been doing that?"

"A couple of years now."

"May I see you shoot?"

Bard grinned. "I will let you see me shoot...if _you_ bring your sketches for _me_ to see next time," he told her with a witty wink.

Hanna couldn't help but grin and shake her head at him. "You're clever, I'll give you that," she replied. When he just chuckled in response, she relented and said, "I suppose I can bring my book next time and show you."

"Then we have made a bargain," Bard proclaimed, extending a hand out to her. They shook hands and made the deal official. Then Bard swung his legs over to one side of the branch and said, "Come on, then!" With that, he pushed off and dropped from the tree with Hanna right behind him.

Once they both landed with their feet firmly on the ground, Bard looked at Hanna and told her excitedly, "Follow me!" He took off further inland through some more trees, Hanna following in tow. She had to admit, she was getting kind of anxious—in a good way—about going further on land with Bard. She knew hadn't gone very far in the past, so she wondered how far _he_ had ever gone.

Soon they came to a clearing and she noticed that there were painted targets on wooden boards spread all throughout. Each one had holes and the wood or the paint was chipped or scratched, clearly from being used quite frequently.

"This is where you practice?" she asked as she looked around, even though she was pretty sure of the answer.

"Aye, this is where it all happens," he answered, withdrawing his bow and then an arrow. "There isn't anywhere hardly to practice back in the town, so I come here where there is space aplenty for me to do my shooting."

"How often do you practice?" she asked.

"A few times a week," he answered her, prepping the arrow on the string of his bow. "Because someday...I want to be the best archer in Laketown. Or perhaps in all of Middle-Earth!"

The boy certainly had great ambition, Hanna had to admit. "That is quite a goal you have for yourself," she pointed out.

"I can dream, can't I?" he inquired with a teasing smirk on his face.

Having said that, he raised his bow and pulled back on the arrow with his arm twisted around so that the inside of his hand was facing outward; a slightly different form than most archers used. He hardly needed any time to aim at his first target. Within seconds, he released the arrow and it soared to the target, striking it dead in the center. He then pulled out more arrows and proceeded to shoot three more targets with the exact same speed and accuracy. When he finished, he turned to Hanna and found her wide-eyed with amazement and her mouth was open yet covered with her hand.

"Bard!" she exclaimed in astonishment. "That was amazing!"

He bowed respectfully and replied, "Thank you."

"I must say...," she went on, "if you keep this up, you very well _may_ be the best archer in Middle-Earth!"

"I'm pleased that you think so," he said back. "I do hope I can be great someday."

"Anyone can be great," said Hanna encouragingly. "It just takes hard work, dedication and sacrifice...and, from what I just saw, you are well on your way."

Bard was touched to hear that Hanna was so impressed. "You know, for a girl who is fairly timid and doesn't like to say much, you speak some excellent words of wisdom," he informed her, giving her a grateful smile. "I don't think you should hold any of that back. You should speak your mind more freely because it seems that you would have many great things to share with others."

Hanna blushed at his comment and looked down to her feet. Not many people ever complimented her and it surprised her to hear such nice words from this boy she still barely knew. She thought that he was just saying all that to be friendly and didn't really mean any of it, but then again...her mother once told her that the compliments of strangers were sometimes more honest and genuine than the compliments of colleagues.

"Do you really think so?" she asked, pushing some hair behind her ear.

He nodded. "Aye...I do think so."

She grinned shyly and replied, "Thank you, Bard. That is sweet of you to say."

"You're welcome. It was my pleasure," he said. Then he held his bow out to her and asked, "Would you like to try it?"

Hanna looked at the bow, contemplating whether or not she wanted to, but then she shook her head and answered, "No, thank you."

Bard gave no argument or insistence that she at least try it; he respected her wishes and simply said, "As you wish" as he put his bow away. He was a gentleman and would not pressure her into doing something she chose not to do, especially considering he still barely knew her. He wanted her to be his friend and he wanted be _her_ friend and acting in such a way would not help that happen in the least.

Instead, he removed his quiver and his satchel from his shoulders and said to her, "Are you hungry, Hanna? I have some food for us here; some fish, bread and fruit. Would you like some?"

She couldn't help but smile at his offer. This boy was just so thoughtful. It was almost unbelievable that someone as young as he was could already be so polite and gentlemanly.

"Yes, I would love some, thank you," Hanna replied graciously.

"Wonderful!" Bard exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "I will go find some wood and get a fire going to cook the fish and then we will feast!"

Hanna simply giggled.

The two of them spent the remainder of the morning and afternoon eating and enjoying the food that Bard had so delicately prepared and getting to know each other even more. They asked each other simple and basic questions to start off that would be easy to answer. Hanna found herself beginning to feel more comfortable with Bard. On some questions she didn't know how or want to answer, he did not pry, but simply accepted whatever answer she gave and moved on or answered it himself. He showed genuine interest in her life and what she had to say, just as she was equally interested in _his_ life. After only two days, she could already start to see herself being good friends with him and having a great friendship with him.

A friendship that in the years to come, unknown to either Hanna or Bard, would soon catch fire.

.

 **Hopefully that wasn't boring or anything, just kind of a filler/"get to know you" type chapter, which there will be a few more of as time goes on and Bard and Hanna get older and their friendship progresses.**

 **If any of you have anything you'd like to see Bard and Hanna do together just as anything fun or something they do to get to know each other even more or whatever, PLEASE feel free to tell me! I'm gonna need a lot and I would love to hear if any of my awesome readers have any ideas or requests :) I'm always open to suggestions and input, so if you think of any, message me! :D**

 **Please review, also, or PM me with any thoughts, questions or concerns :)**

 **Stay tuned!**


	3. A Pearl of Great Price

**Man, have I missed this story! :)**

 **I'm really glad to have gotten some really good feedback on this story and I'm happy that you all, my readers, are enjoying this :) it definitely is a much different take on the Hobbit story around a character we don't see or know much of and pretty much 90% of what I'm going to write is all stuff I'm making up myself xD but I'm glad you all are interested in what I have in mind and where I'm going to take Bard's story, so I'm glad to have you along for this adventure :)**

 **First of all, I just wanted to let you know that I made a "trailer" for this story :) if you'd like to see it, here's the link for it (** **watch?v=wTeBaT84QU0) hope you enjoy it!**

 **Second, I do hope you like this chapter :) we'll get to see another familiar character in this one and how they tie in to Hanna's life as of right now.**

 **Enjoy, dearies! :)**

 **.**

Since the day that Hanna and Bard had first met, three years had passed by and to say they were good friends would have been considered an understatement.

The two of them, now eighteen and nineteen years of age, were thick as thieves and spent much of their time together. They spent a lot of time for a while just the two of them meeting on the shore of the lake, but then Hanna's mother and father finally wanted to meet Bard after hearing so much about him. Once they finally met him, he did visit their home often for he enjoyed Hilda and Hyman's company as well as Hanna's.

In this time, Hyman and Hilda had noticed a very considerable change in their daughter. She no longer was very shy or timid as she had used to be. Ever since she had started spending time with Bard, Hanna had come out of her shell more and more and was more outgoing, talkative and, to her mother's delight, wasn't as afraid to speak her mind about different things. Hanna wasn't as quiet and was more open about her opinions. Deep down, both Hilda and Hyman were grateful for Bard and his friendship with their daughter for he had been just what she needed to grow out of the girl she had been and into the woman she was now. He made her feel comfortable with herself as well as others by simply being open and kind to her and letting her do the same with him. Hanna's parents could not have been happier with their daughter's choice for a best friend.

Both Bard and Hanna were very happy, too. They found that their friendship was unlike anything they had ever heard of. They had found strength from each other to do things they had never done and to be the kind of people they knew they should be. While being silly and causing slight amounts of trouble here and there, they made each other better in so many ways. Bard had been teaching Hanna how to use a bow and arrow and she was learning quite fast, almost becoming as skilled as he was, and Hanna was teaching Bard how to draw and also giving him a few cooking tips, as well. They both were eager to learn new things from each other. The two of them got along incredibly well; they truly were the best of friends and were very thankful that they had fatefully met on the shores of the Long Lake three years past.

* * *

One day, Hanna had to go to the market to pick up some sewing supplies for her mother; some thread and some fabric. She made her way into the central part of the town where all the kiosks and shops were. The sounds of the usual hustle and bustle of the market rang through the air and bounced in and out of her ears. She didn't mind all the noise, she had gotten used to it over the years after going with her mother ofttimes. Since Laketown was a small town, she recognized most of the faces. Some more than others, but she recognized many of them nonetheless. Some of them said hello to her as she walked by and she would say hello back.

She went to the kiosk where the fabric and thread were being sold. The lady who worked it was named Mora and she was very familiar with Hanna and her mother since they were her most frequent customers. She was an older, grey-haired lady who usually wore a brown dress and lots of multicolored beads around her neck.

Mora smiled at Hanna as the young lady approached the booth. "Good morning, Hanna!" she exclaimed.

"Good morning, Mora!" Hanna replied brightly.

"How are you, dear girl?" the older woman asked.

Hanna smiled and answered, "I am doing well, thank you. And how are _you_?"

"Well, as well as I can be, getting old and all," Mora said back.

With a smirk, Hanna proclaimed nicely, "Mora, you are not old! You still look young and beautiful."

Mora put a hand over heart, responding, "Oh, bless your heart, child." Then, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, she asked, "So what can I help you with today?"

"I just need some black thread and around three feet of green and blue fabric," Hanna told her.

"Right away," said Mora. She took a couple of minutes to rummage through her supplies and gathered all the things Hanna had requested. After the purchase was made, she asked, "And how are your mother and father faring?"

"They both are well, thank you," said Hanna as she put the fabric and thread into the basket she carried with her.

"I have not seen your mother in a little while. You should bring her with you the next time you come to see me."

"I would have, but she was taking care of some chores at home."

Then, a very nasally voice spoke behind her, saying, "Well, well, well…look who it is."

Hanna knew the voice and an uncomfortable chill ran down her spine. She really did not like it when this man came around. She turned around slowly, not looking forward to whatever was going to happen next. Behind her was a squirrelly-looking man just under her height with hunched shoulders, yellowish teeth and pale skin. Apart from the color of his complexion, everything else about him was all black: his hair and stubble, his thick unibrow, his clothes, jacket, boots and the square hat he wore on his head.

This was Alfrid, a man who had had his eye on Hanna for the past year after he had accidentally knocked into her one day during a town event. Unfortunately, he was very awkward and creepy in the way that he pursued or tried to woo her and made her feel quite uncomfortable, but no matter how many times she rejected him, he wouldn't take a hint and leave her alone.

"Hanna!" he stated in glad yet annoying, slimy voice. He took a step towards her. "You get prettier every week."

"And you, Alfrid Lickspittle, are wasting your flattery," she responded right away with a fake smile on her face.

"Oh, come now, you mustn't be so quick to snub a compliment," he told her.

"I am not. I only do so with _you_ ," she said back, "because I know you expect something from me in return, which you are _not_ going to get, as I have told you many times. Your repeated attempts at trying to entice me are never going to work."

"Shouldn't you, at least, give me a chance before you completely reject me?"

"No," was her quick response. "There is no law that says I have to give every man who is interested in courting me a chance and I have every right to say 'no', especially to anyone whom I am not in the least interested in. I completely reject you because you cannot take 'no' for an answer. That is _your_ problem, not mine."

"That's the spirit, dear!" cheered Mora behind them.

Alfrid glowered at her, pointed a warning finger and stated, "You stay out of this, old lady!" Mora simply grimaced back at him, so he took that opportunity to keep talking to Hanna. He went on to say, "You know, Hanna, you may reject me, but I think you ought to know that I have a high chance of becoming an apprentice to the Master and learning his trade."

Hanna tilted her head and asked, "Is that supposed to impress me?"

"It should," he said back. "I very well could earn a place as the Master's counselor and have a higher status and authority. When that happens, you very well could have a better chance with me."

"You think that I should court you because you may have an increase in status and that is going to help change my mind?" When Alfrid gave a brisk nod, she scoffed and said as she turned her back to him, "Heaven forbid I ever stoop so low."

"Don't be so close-minded," said Alfrid.

Mora stood up from where she was sitting and told him firmly, "Leave her alone, Alfrid, you arrogant sod! She already told you: she is _not_ interested and if you think that she would choose to court a man solely for his wealth or status, then you have got another think coming!"

Alfrid stepped forward so he was right up against the edge of the booth counter. "Didn't I tell you to mind your own business?"

"I don't answer to you and neither does Hanna," Mora snapped right back.

Hanna stepped back behind Alfrid and couldn't help but grin to herself, feeling pleased with Mora and her sassiness towards him. She always knew she liked this woman.

As the other two continued to argue, Hanna heard a soft whistle above her head. Puzzled, she looked up and then smiled as she saw a head of shaggy black hair and a pair of familiar grey eyes looking down at her from the roof of the kiosk.

Bard, with a mischievous grin upon his lips, leaned over the edge of the roof, held out his hand to Hanna and said quietly so Alfrid couldn't hear, "Need a lift?"

She quickly nodded her head and gave him a look that was practically begging him to get her out of there. With that, she reached up and grabbed his hand and then he proceeded to effortlessly pull her up next to him onto the roof as if she weighed nothing. Then the two of them peered back over the edge of the roof to watch Alfrid's reaction.

Sure enough, he had turned around to find Hanna had disappeared and started whipping his head back and forth in confusion, which made Bard and Hanna snicker. Then Alfrid looked back to Mora and demanded, "Where did she go?"

"As if I would tell you," Mora replied.

Alfrid huffed in annoyance and then decided to leave, so he abruptly turned on his heel and stormed away, nearly running into some townspeople on his way.

Hanna, as she watched him finally leave, heaved a sigh of relief. Alfrid was such an irritant and a thorn in her side that it simply amazed her how he could just never comprehend that she was not interested in courting him and leave her alone. This was almost becoming a weekly occurrence and it was driving her crazy.

Once he was no longer in sight, she leaned over the edge of the roof far enough to where her head hung over and she could see Mora sitting in her chair.

"Thank you, Mora!" she exclaimed gladly.

"Oh, of course, child," Mora responded. "I am sorry that arrogant fellow is so stubborn in his ways."

Hanna smirked. "Fortunately, for me, _I_ am stubborn in _my_ ways, too."

Mora chuckled and then tilted her head curiously. "How did you get up there?" she asked.

It was then that Bard's head swung over and looked at her with a big smile on his face. She then grinned in understanding; now that she saw him, it all made sense.

"Hello, Bard," she said sweetly.

"Hello, Mora," he said back.

While still looking at him, she then pointed a finger at Hanna and told him, "She is very lucky to have a friend like you looking out for her."

"Well, that is why she keeps me around: to act as her personal bodyguard whenever Alfrid comes around!" he declared.

"Oh, stop it!" said Hanna as she rolled her eyes and snickered at his joking.

"I suppose we'd best be off, then," said Bard.

"That, you should," said Mora, "before the little creep comes back."

"Thank you again, Mora," Hanna said to her. "And thank you for the supplies, my mother will be very appreciative of it!"

The older lady smiled and said, "My pleasure. Give my best to your parents, dears!"

The two young people bade Mora goodbye and then hoisted themselves back upright on the roof.

"So I have to go collect some oysters for my family's supper tonight," Bard then informed Hanna. "Would you like to come help me?"

"Yes, absolutely!" Hanna answered.

With nothing else needing to be said, the two of them stood up and, instead of getting back down on the ground, proceeded to run and jump from the rooftops of the other booths and the townhouses, laughing playfully the whole way.

* * *

"Bard...do I seem like the type of girl who would only court someone based on their wealth or status?"

The two young friends were sitting in Bard's family canoe just a little ways offshore of the lake, going through all the oysters they had collected and making sure they were all good enough to eat. While they had pulled the net up from the water, Hanna had been thinking about what Alfrid had said about him gaining an increase in status and how she'd then be better off with him. Did he really think she was that shallow? Did anyone else think that way of her? Those questions had been eating away at her and she finally asked Bard his thoughts on the matter.

He was just finishing putting away the net when he turned back to her with a startled look on his face. "What? Nonsense!" he replied. "I would never think such a thing of you!"

"Do you think anyone else does?" she then asked timidly.

"Of course not! What makes you believe anyone would think you'd do such a thing?" he asked back.

"Alfrid seems to think I'm that shallow...he implied that—"

"The devil with what Alfrid thinks!" he interrupted. "He still believes he has a chance in getting you to court him, no matter how many times you reject him...and if _he_ is going to go so far as to think such things about you, then that makes _him_ the shallow one, not you."

Hearing Bard say that made Hanna feel a bit better. "Thank you, Bard," she said, a small, grateful smile edging up on her lips.

"Don't let anything Alfrid says get to you," he told her as he started opening another oyster. "He is just a pitiful little man who doesn't know a thing about you. Besides, you have yet to court anyone, so how could he even imply that you would only court someone based on their wealth or status? He knows nothing."

"That's what you think?" Hanna asked with a slight chuckle, more rhetorically than anything.

Bard's expression remained sincere and his tone of voice was likewise when he answered her, "Aye…that _is_ what I think."

She found herself strangely caught off guard by his seriousness and gave him a puzzled look.

He continued, saying, "Hanna, you are a brilliant girl and the fact that Alfrid would think so negatively of you is just awful. If anyone else thought such things about you, I would not stand for any of it! When I tell you to not pay heed to anything negative he or anyone else says, I mean it. You do not need anything like that putting you down and I won't let anyone tell you any different."

Hanna let out an almost shocked exhale, feeling touched by what Bard had just said to her. He had said polite and encouraging things to her in the past, yes, but this by far had been the sweetest thing he had ever said to her. Even after three years, there were still times every so often where she was amazed by his compassion.

"Bard…that is very sweet of you to say," she told him, putting a hand over her heart.

He kindly smiled and replied, "You are my best friend, Hanna, and anyone who tries to downgrade your integrity will always answer to _me_. You can count on that."

She couldn't help but smirk even bigger than she had been a moment ago, glad to hear such a promise from him. It meant a great deal to her. Her response then was, "Now you see why I keep you around."

"So there really _is_ more to all that than just having me as your bodyguard for when Alfrid comes about?" he asked teasingly.

Rolling her eyes, she answered with a grin, "Of course, there's more to it, you silly boy!"

They both snickered at each other and then resumed going through the oysters, carefully opening them and checking the insides. Once they were checked, they were put into a large basket in the middle of the boat. For minutes, this went on and the two of them were mostly silent the rest of the time.

But when Bard got to the very last one, he pulled the oyster shell open and then suddenly exclaimed, "Hanna! Hanna, come look at this!"

"What is it?" she asked as she inched to the side over to where he was sitting.

He held out his hand that held the open oyster and she gasped in amazement as she then beheld a glimmering, pure white pearl the size of a pebble sitting inside of it.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed. "It's beautiful! Have you ever found a pearl inside an oyster before?"

"No, I haven't," he said back, examining the pearl between his fingertips. "I've seen ones that others in the town have found and sold in the market, but they were dull in color or did not have much of a shine. This one looks as if it had been polished and everything. It's unlike any other pearl I have ever seen."

"What are you going to do with it?" Hanna asked excitedly. "Are you going to sell it in the market? You could fetch quite a price for it, I am sure!"

"Aye, I'm sure I could…but…," said Bard ponderingly, still looking at the pearl, but his voice trailed off in thought. He continued to stare at it for another moment, contemplating what he would do with this newfound prize.

"But what, Bard?" asked Hanna.

A thought soon came to Bard's mind and a clever grin slowly spread across his face. He had a perfect idea as to what he would do with the pearl.

He turned his head to look at the girl beside him and he said in reply to her question, "I want _you_ to have it."

She blinked in surprise. "Me?"

He nodded. "Aye, that is what I said."

"But…why?" she questioned, looking genuinely confused. "Why would you give such a find to me?"

He reached down, took her hand, facing upward, and answered as he placed the pearl in the center of her palm, "Because…I value your friendship more than I value any amount of gold I could get for this. Money is trivial, common and worldly, but true friends are rare and should be treasured when found. I want this to be a symbol of what we have together. I also want you to have this as a reminder that you are a beautiful gem of great worth and should never think otherwise when others try to say so."

Hanna's jaw had dropped down in awe and wonder at every word that came from Bard's mouth. Now her mind had changed: _those_ words were officially the sweetest ones he had ever spoken to her. Now more than ever, she was extremely grateful to know him and have him as her best friend. He was perhaps the most compassionate, selfless and thoughtful young man she had ever met and she couldn't feel more blessed than she did in that moment. Sometimes she wondered just how she, a lowly and once timid girl, had managed to be so fortunate as to gain a true friend like him.

Closing her hand firm around the pearl, she threw her arms around his neck and embraced him tightly, to which he responded by wrapping his arms around her waist. "Thank you so much, Bard!" she told him in a soft voice. "You truly are the greatest friend I could ever have. I promise, I will cherish this gift always."

When they pulled apart, Bard looked intently into Hanna's eyes and told her, "You are a pearl of great price, Hanna. You are _my_ pearl of great price, whose friendship _I_ will cherish always."

The smile that shone on Hanna's face in that moment could not have been any brighter and Bard felt more than happy to see the smile he had grown so fond of.

It was once again proven that, to say the two of them were good friends, would have been an understatement.

.

 **Awww! :D**

 **Seriously, I am just really enjoying writing about Bard as a young man. I see him as a fun-loving, slightly mischievous one who also can be very sincere and kind at the same time. He and Hanna are really starting to grow on me more than I thought they would and I am just having so much fun coming up with more and more for their story :)**

 **Just as a heads up...this isn't the last we'll see of Alfrid :P not even close! And this also won't be the last we'll see of the pearl xD that will show up again, too, for sure!**

 **Comments or concerns? I would love to hear all of them, so please review or send me a PM! :)**

 **See ya'll again soon! :)**


	4. Urban Legends

**Hello, dears! :)**

 **I'm glad to have come back to this story. I actually started this chapter a while ago and then suddenly lost motivation and my train of thought for it, so I put it aside for a while. Then my inspiration came back xD isn't that usually how it goes? lol**

 **So, in case some of you haven't read my good news in my other story (Home Is Part II), I will tell it to those who may not know:**

 **I'M ENGAGED! :D**

 **That's part of why I haven't updated in a while! Been pretty busy with wedding planning and such xD My fiance is a wonderful man who is a big LotR/Hobbit nerd like me ;) I can't wait to marry him!**

 **So there's that for you. I'm glad to still receive reviews and PM's regarding this story and I'm happy you all still enjoy it :) I hope you like this chapter as well!**

 **Happy reading! :)**

 **.**

"Mama! Papa! I'm home!"

Hanna pulled the front door to her home shut behind her as she went inside. The inside of her small house was nice and warm from the fire in the fireplace near the edge of the living room. The window curtains were pulled open, letting in the bright daylight into the room. There was the familiar, faint salty aroma from the lake that hung in the air alongside the scent of freshly baked bread and spices.

To Hanna, it was the scent of home.

As she entered the room, her mother came from another room around the corner and gave her daughter a welcoming smile.

"Hello, dear," she said. "How was the market?"

"It was pleasant, mostly," Hanna answered, setting her basket down on a small table. "Mora sends you her best."

"Ah, Mora…such a lovely lady, she is."

Hanna continued, "Everything went well…until Alfrid came."

Hilda rolled her eyes and groaned, "Oh, no…!"

"He thinks I should give him a chance before I completely reject him."

"And what did you tell him?"

"I told him I _don't_ have to give him a chance, I have every right to say 'no' and that if he can't accept that as my answer, then that is _his_ problem."

Hilda grinned proudly. "That's my girl!"

"He then told me that he may someday become an apprentice to the Master and will have higher status and authority," Hanna then told her mother.

Hilda looked up to the ceiling and commented, "Heaven help us all if that little weasel of a man ever gains a position!"

"I couldn't agree more," said Hanna.

Her mother then figured that she should get away from the topic of Alfrid since Hana didn't like talking about him. So she changed the subject by looking down at her daughter's basket and asking, "Did you get the thread and fabric I asked for?"

Hanna too looked at her basket and replied as she pulled everything out, "Aye, Mama, I did."

"Thank you, darling," said Hilda as she took the fabric from Hanna's hands. "Now I can get to work."

Curiously, Hanna asked her, "What are you making this time?"

Her mother answered, "My friend, Edna's, daughter had her baby recently and they are in need of a blanket for the little one, so I offered to make them one."

"Naturally," Hanna replied with a knowing smile.

As she walked back towards her room, Hilda said over her shoulder, "I will be in my sewing room. Your father is in the kitchen. I have already eaten supper, so it will be just the two of you."

"Aye, Mama," said Hanna as Hilda closed the door to her sewing room.

The young woman now stood alone in the middle of the living room, but then she decided to go say hello to her father. Quietly, she made her way towards the kitchen and could hear Hyman's deep, jolly voice softly singing a little tune to himself as he was working. Hanna peeked around the corner into the kitchen and found that her father's back was facing her. There was a small plume of hissing steam coming from the far right side of the room, emanating from a pot hanging over a fire in a small fireplace, similar to the one in the living room. A bushel of vegetables sat on the ground at the foot of the counter and on the counter above them were small bottles filled with different spices.

Hanna decided she was going to sneak up behind her father and surprise him. She tiptoed towards him ever so carefully as he continued to work.

Then she threw her arms around his larger waist and exclaimed, "Hello, Papa!"

Hyman jumped and let out a startled cry as he tilted his head down to look at his daughter. He was only a few inches taller than her and his hairline was beginning to recede a little in the front. His hair was a light grey it was almost white and came down almost to his shoulders. He also had a beard that was slightly darker grey than his hair, but most could only see the difference if they looked very closely. His eyes were a deep brown, like Hanna's—the only physical trait she had inherited from him—and they were now, once getting over the initial surprise, beaming as they looked at her face.

"Oh, my stars, Hanna!" he cried as he lifted an arm to around her shoulders so he could hug her. "You about scared the daylights out of me."

Hanna just giggled.

He then motioned to a half-cut loaf of bread on the counter in front of him. "I made some bread and it's still hot. Would you like a piece?"

"Oh, you needn't ask, Papa!" she answered eagerly as he gave her one. She took a bite and moaned with delight at the taste that now rested on her tongue. One of the things she loved was her father's homemade bread. He made it like regular bread but he also added just a tiny hint of some herbs, which gave it a little more flavor and it tasted divine. She loved it even more when it was hot and fresh from the oven because then it would practically melt on her tongue. He had taught her how to make it and she kept reminding herself that one day she would have to teach Bard how to make it, too.

"How were things on the river?" she asked her father before taking another bite of bread.

Hyman resumed slicing the rest of the loaf as he answered, "Calm, uneventful. I just picked up more barrels from the Woodland Realm. I swear, I had to pick up more this time. Sometimes I wonder how the Elves are not complete drunks with as much wine as they drink."

Hanna chuckled. "Perhaps they simply can hold their liquor better than Men," she commented.

Her father snickered and rocked his head from side to side. "I suppose," he said.

"May I show you something, Papa?" Hanna then asked.

"Of course," Hyman answered.

She then reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out the white pearl that Bard had given her earlier that day. Holding it in the palm of her hand, she then held it out in front of her father where he could see it.

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh my!" he said, carefully picking it up from her hand and looking at it closely. "Where did you find _this_?"

"Bard did, actually," she clarified with a grin. "I helped him collect some oysters earlier today and he found it inside the very last one. He gave it to me…as a token of our friendship."

He hummed, amused, and said, handing the pearl back to her, "That may be the purest white of a pearl I have ever seen; a very precious sea gem, indeed. Bard did well."

"I think so, too," she agreed, dropping the pearl back into her pocket.

"I do like the lad," he then told her, flashing her a little grin.

She gave him a look in return, having a feeling she knew where he was going with his comment. "You're not going to turn into Mama on me, are you?"

He pretended to look innocent as he shrugged his shoulders and responded, "I do not know what you mean."

"She teases me about Bard and how she thinks I supposedly have feelings for him."

"Well, do you?"

"Papa, of course not. He is my best friend and nothing more. That would be too strange for us."

"There are many couples who started out as just friends or best friends, but then grew to be something more with time. Believe me, I would know."

"You and Mama were once like me and Bard?"

He nodded. "Oh, yes. Like you two, we spent a lot of time together and were the best of friends. All the things I thought and liked about her, I believed were only because she was my best friend and I cared about her. But when we grew older and I saw her around other men, I found myself becoming jealous and came to realize that I cared for her more than I realized. When I came to terms with that, I told her the truth and found out that she felt the same…and, well, that's how _you_ became a possibility."

The wheels began to turn in Hanna's head as she began to contemplate her father's story. Was there a chance of that happening to her and Bard, as well?

"But…I still am not sure if that is truly how I feel about Bard…," she told him indecisively. "I have never considered it before."

As she had said all that, Hyman had dished up two bowls of soup from the pot over the fireplace. As she straightened back up, holding a bowl in each hand, he motioned to the table with his head, signaling her to sit down, and then asked, "Well, how do you feel whenever you see him or spend time with him?"

An unsure yet contemplative expression came over Hanna's face as she sank down into her chair at the table and her father placed a bowl in front of her. "Well…," she began, "…I know I get excited when I know I'm going to see him because I look forward to whatever it is we're going to do together. I enjoy his company; he makes me laugh and smile. I smile even when I see him coming. He's been patient with me and my shyness over the last three years, which makes me glad, and he is kind to me and enjoys spending time with me as much as I do him."

Her father's lips slowly lifted upward into a pleased grin. After a brief silent moment, he said to her, "If I didn't know any better, I would say you _do_ have feelings for the lad…you just do not yet realize the extent of them."

Now Hanna felt even more confused. She had never thought all of the things she had mentioned were signs that she had feelings for Bard. She always thought that they were because he was her closest friend and that she simply cared about him in that kind of platonic and friendly way. What if all this time, she had been wrong? How would she know for sure?

The feeling of her father's hand on her arm brought her back to reality as he then said to her, "I am not saying you need to figure all of that out _now_. I am merely pointing out that what you think you feel for him may run deeper than you realize. I see how happy Bard makes you when he comes around. I even saw the look in your eyes as you told me about him giving you the pearl and when you glanced at it before putting it back in your pocket. I know he means a great deal to you…I am simply saying that he may mean more to you than you think."

Hanna said nothing back, but just looked down at her soup, trying to process what Hyman was telling her.

"Just something to think about," he added with a soft pat on her shoulder. "Now, you should eat your soup before it gets cold."

"Aye, Papa," she replied, picking up her spoon and dishing the hot liquid into her mouth. For the moment, she pushed all thoughts of having feelings for Bard aside, not wanting to worry about all of that just yet.

* * *

The next week came and there were now rumors of pirates—or Corsairs, as they were more well known—seen nearby the shores of the Long Lake and also on the shores of the Forest River in Mirkwood. Word of the pirates spread fast like wildfire through the town. However, at least once a year or sometimes every two years, there were always rumors of the Corsairs and yet, no one ever actually saw them or found any evidence as to validate the claims. There were still plenty of people who grew wary and cautious when word was spread of the pirates nearby, but plenty more paid hardly or no heed to them.

Bard was one of the ones who hardly believed the rumors anymore. He had been ashore plenty of times, even when there were supposed reports of the pirates, and he never once saw any sign of them. Even though he at least knew they were real in other parts of the world, they just seemed now to be an urban legend to the people of Laketown.

Hilda Bianca, however, was a little more cautious in regards to the rumors of pirates. Only because her husband was the town bargeman and had to travel up the Forest River often. Whenever word came around of the pirates nearby, she grew nervous whenever Hyman would have to leave. Hanna was the same way, as well. She always was afraid that her father would leave one day and then never come back or word would reach them saying that he had been captured by the pirates. Luckily, though, he always returned home and reported of no sightings of the Corsairs.

One day, Bard came to Hanna's home and asked if she wanted to go floating with him. At first, she asked where he had in mind to go floating, hoping he wasn't planning on going up the Forest River. He told her he was thinking of actually going more south towards the River Running, which the Forest River was a tributary for, and then she felt a little better about it.

On their way to the docks, where Bard had his boat waiting, they came upon Percy, an older, friendly, grey-haired man who manned the front gate.

"Hello, Hanna, and hello, Bard!" he exclaimed, waving at them and receiving waves back from them.

"Morning, Percy!" said Bard in reply.

"And where are you two young ones off to?" Percy asked them.

"We're off to float the river," Hanna answered.

Percy got a look of slight concern on his face. "Are you floating the Forest River?" he asked.

"No, we're going to go south to the River Running," Hanna informed him.

He hummed in uncertainty. "I don't know if that's a good idea…," he said.

Bard then asked, "Why do you say that?"

Percy answered as he began walking away, "I've heard word that the Corsairs are about again…and that now they have been seen along the River Running."

Hanna's body stiffened right away as she watched the older man leave. The Corsairs were now by the River Running? What were they doing so far south of their normal point of origin and why were they there? Why now? Now she knew she and Bard couldn't risk going down there, not if there were pirates nearby.

However, Bard scoffed at Percy's response. "I'm sure we will be fine," he said, going to his boat, getting down on his knees and starting to untie the rope tying it to the dock.

Hanna whipped around to look at him with a perplexed expression. "Bard, what are you doing?"

Bard looked back at her, puzzled at why she was asking such a thing. "I am untying the boat so we can go," he answered.

"But we can't!" she told him. "You just heard what Percy told us. The Corsairs have moved by the River Running."

He scoffed again and rolled his eyes. "Come on, Hanna, everyone knows that the Corsairs in this area of the world are basically an urban legend. When has anyone ever _actually_ seen a pirate or a group of pirates around here?"

"Well, obviously, _someone_ had to have seen them in order for the rumors to get spread around."

Bard pointed a finger at Hanna. "You see, you said the word 'rumors' and rumors, more often than not, are usually false truths. That is exactly what all of this with the pirates is: falsehoods. There is always word of Corsairs along the shores of the Long Lake or the Forest River and yet, nothing ever happens and no one ever sees any. Your father has come back from the Forest River plenty of times having never seen them."

"Yes, my father has said that; that may be true, but what of the new reports of them being sighted down south?"

"Clearly, whoever starts the rumors is getting bored and wants to change things around to scare people even more…but I don't believe it. I've never believed any of it. _I_ have never seen any Corsairs for myself, so I doubt that they even exist in these parts."

Hanna was a bit taken aback at Bard's words. It seemed pretty prideful and high and mighty of him to say such a thing, which was rather unlike him. Placing her hands on her hips, she replied, "So suddenly, _you_ are the one who gets to decide what is true or what exists or not?"

Now it was Bard's turn to look surprised as he turned back to look at her, having finished untying the boat. "I said nothing of the sort," he said defensively, getting back up to his feet.

"Then why are you acting so high and mighty about it all?"

"All I am saying is: how am I supposed to believe there are really Corsairs in these parts when there is no evidence suggesting they have ever been here? I have never seen anything."

"We have never seen the dragon that resides in the Lonely Mountain and yet we still know he exists."

"That is different."

"How?"

"There is actual evidence of the dragon's existence. We have heard the faint rumblings from when he briefly stirs in his slumber. We have seen the charred ruins of Dale. That is actual proof that the dragon is real."

Hanna shook her head. "Even so, Bard, you cannot completely disregard the reports of the Corsairs. The reports would never have come about if someone at some time didn't actually see them."

Bard then shook _his_ head at _her_ and said, giving a dismissive wave of his hand and turning back to his boat, "It doesn't matter. I am going to the river now."

"Bard!" Hanna exclaimed in disbelief, making him stop in his tracks. "Did you not hear a word I just said? You _cannot_ disregard the news on the Corsairs!"

"Don't be so paranoid, Hanna," Bard said back.

Her head jolted back in surprise. "Paranoid?" she repeated. "I am trying to make you see reason; to protect you!"

"There is nothing to protect me from," he told her. "There _are_ no Corsairs! These rumors have been proven false time and time again and yet you still believe them."

"Like I said, someone _had_ to have seen the pirates at some time or else those rumors would never have started."

"Hanna, even your own father, who travels on the river almost daily, has stated that he's never seen any signs of pirates. He has never seen any and neither have I. How is that so hard to believe?"

"Why must you be so foolish about this?" Hanna nearly screamed, throwing her hands up in the air.

"And why must _you_ be so naïve?" Bard shot back, pointing at her. "I have known you to be timid and without a backbone at times, but this is ridiculous!"

Hanna was shocked by what Bard said but then she retorted, "And I have known _you_ to be headstrong and arrogant, but now you're being absurd!"

The two of them stood there almost glaring at each other for a moment, caught up in their frustration and sudden annoyance with one another. Their differing opinions clashed and were causing them to be uncooperative and, for the moment, pushing them away. Neither of them could understand why the other wouldn't listen and see the point they were trying to make. They both were stubborn in their views.

Bard was the first to break eye contact with Hanna by lowering his gaze to the ground. "You can either come with me or go home," he told her, a bit harshly.

Hanna's jaw clenched to prevent herself from crying as she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She was still surprised by Bard's sudden brashness with her. They had never once fought in the three years they had been friends and the overwhelming feeling she was now experiencing just seemed to crash onto her like a fallen tree. She didn't want to fight; she didn't want to let him go, but after all that he had said, she didn't want to go with him either. She felt conflicted inside.

After a moment of contemplative silence, she at last inhaled sharply, shook her head and replied, "No…I won't go with you, Bard."

Bard lowered his eyes and curtly nodded. He figured that was probably going to be her choice, seeing as how she was still so set in her ways. He didn't say a word but simply turned his back to her, returned to his boat and climbed in. He picked up an oar, pushed off the dock with it and rowed down the little canal that led out to the lake, never once looking back at Hanna.

Hanna stood in place and finally let out a choked sob and her tears fell as she watched Bard slowly drift out of sight. Part of her wished that she had quickly jumped into the boat with him before he left to make sure he would be all right, but a greater part of herself told her that if he was going to call her naïve and foolish when she was being cautious, then he didn't deserve to have her with him. If he was going to be hardheaded about his actions, then she would let him suffer the consequences.

But that one voice in her head that wanted to her to go with him would not be silent. Something in her mind was telling her that she was making a mistake letting him go off alone. Yes, they might have argued and parted on uneven terms, but he was still her best friend…and best friends should never let each other do things—especially things that were possibly dangerous—alone. Something in her gut was telling her that he was going off into nothing but trouble and it was a feeling she just couldn't shake.

No matter what, she couldn't abandon her best friend.

"Oh…curses!" she muttered under her breath, gritting her teeth.

As quickly as she could, Hanna ran back to her home to ready her family's boat. Luckily, her father and her mother had gone to the market, so there was no one home to question her as to why she was taking the boat. She packed her bow and arrows, which Bard had helped her pick out while he had been training her, as well as a couple large, sharp knives. She wanted to be prepared in case there were indeed Corsairs along the River Running.

Once she had everything she felt she would need, Hanna untied the boat and pushed off, heading through the town towards the way she knew Bard had gone. She had to catch up to him.

* * *

Further away from the lake and on the River Running, Bard was still grimacing to himself regarding his argument with Hanna. Why did she have to be such a stubborn girl? How could she not believe by now that there really were no pirates in their little corner of the world? For years, there had been rumors of their presence, yet no one had ever seen one. Not even her father, Hyman, who spent his days on the rivers for a living, never saw one. Surely, that had to be evidence enough for her to believe that everything involving the Corsairs were just legends; myths. Yet she continued to believe it and actually fought with him about it. He couldn't believe that she would be so adamant about such a thing. It was so foolish of her. He sometimes wondered how he put up with her.

" _She's not always stubborn,"_ he thought to himself. _"If she is, it's usually when she's being a tease about something…or when it involves not courting Alfrid. When it comes to me or those she cares about, she's never that way…not unless it concerned their safety or well-being. It's only because she cares…."_

As he kept rowing further down river, he began to think that perhaps there wasn't really any harm in being cautious, even if it was about something not many people particularly believed in. He couldn't blame her for that. The Corsairs were something that scared her, especially when her father worked on the river daily. Everyone was scared of something, even stories, even though this particular story had been proven false time and time again.

Bard was unsure what to think. He wanted to stay mad at Hanna for being against him and not coming with him, but he also wanted to try and see it her way and perhaps overlook his own stubbornness, which was not entirely easy to do.

The sound of a twig snapping onshore broke him from his deep thoughts and his head jerked to the side, looking for any movement. He could see none. He wondered if perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him…and yet he still had the feeling that there was at least something onshore.

Just then, as he came around a bend, he saw the figure of a man lying face down on the ground on the shore. He didn't appear to be moving at all, which made Bard concerned. He maneuvered his boat closer to shore until it slid up onto the bank and then jumped out to see if the man needed help.

"Sir! Sir, are you all right? Can you hear me?" he cried out as he dropped to his knees at the man's side and turned him over.

Suddenly, the man's eyes snapped open and he jolted up, grabbing at Bard's arms to catch him off guard, and then pushing himself towards him so as to knock Bard onto his back. Unfortunately, young Bard _was_ caught off guard and was pushed to his back within a couple seconds. He looked up in shock at the man who had pinned him. He was mostly bald with a single strip of black hair running back down the center of his head, which was pulled back into a ponytail. On his face were multiple dark tattoos of little depictions that Bard didn't understand. The man had a black beard, as well, that was only a tad bit longer than the length of his chin. He was looking down at the young boy with fierce, cunning eyes.

"I can hear you just fine, boy," he answered with a deep, grumbling voice that sent chills down Bard's spine.

Right after his response, he pulled back a fist and connected it hard with Bard's cheek, disorienting him. With Bard feeling dizzy and unresponsive, the man yanked him up to his feet and proceeded to pull him along beside him deeper into the trees.

As Bard's eyes began to adjust again and his mind came to, he saw ahead of him a group of about six men all standing or sitting around with burlap sacks, weapons and chests of gold all surrounding them. There were three large holes in the ground, freshly dug up, and shovels were lying right next to them. Every man was dressed in dark clothing with some form of spikes or cruel design to them and they all had facial hair and tattoos on some parts of their bodies.

"Corsairs…," he mumbled in both disbelief and fear.

For once, the rumors had been true…Hanna had been right.

The tallest one, with long unruly hair and a long scar running diagonally across his face, stepped forward towards Bard and the man.

"I came across this one just at the river, Durgon," said the man holding Bard, giving a tug on the young boy's sleeve.

The tall man with the scar, known as Durgon, took another step closer to Bard, eyeing him closely.

Bard spoke before he could, "So it really is true…you are the Corsairs…you've been here before."

Durgon's eyes squinted at him. "Yes, we have been here before," he affirmed with a voice that was incredibly smooth, it was almost snakelike. "We have come here for years, secretly burying our plunders until we needed them. But unfortunately for you, you now know and have seen too much."

Bard's body tensed up and his mouth went dry. He knew where this was going and it was not going to be good.

"You cannot be allowed to return home."

Bard began shaking his head desperately. "No, no…!"

"I'm afraid we're going to have to kill you."

Just then, a womanly voice cried from above, "I don't think so, pirate!"

There was a whizzing sound and within seconds, there was suddenly an arrow protruding from the shoulder of the man who had a hold on Bard. He dropped to the ground dead right away. Bard, Durgon and the other pirates all looked up to see where the arrow as well as the voice came from. They saw movement drop from the nearest tree and then saw the woman standing a few feet away.

It was Hanna…with her bow in hand a quiver of arrows strapped to her back.

Bard was astonished to see her there; to see she had so quickly caught up with him. He was also relieved to see that she had come to save him. But then as the pirates advanced towards her, picking up their weapons, his heart nearly jumped up into his throat. She wouldn't stand a chance against them!

However, before he could act, Durgon came up behind him, twisted one arm behind his back and held a sword at his throat with the other. Bard tried to resist, but Durgon's grip only tightened on him and he would press the sharp blade closer against his skin.

As for Hanna, she was only able to get two arrows fired at a couple of the pirates before the rest began to overpower her. They were too quick for her. One knocked her bow out of her hands and, when she tried to throw a punch in defense, another caught her arm in midair and grabbed it tightly, subduing her advance. She groaned in pain at the man's hold on her arm and then cried out again more painfully as another one thrust a hand across her face and sent her to the ground.

"Hanna!" Bard shouted with worry.

Two of the pirates hoisted Hanna off the ground and grabbed both of her arms as they half dragged her towards Durgon and Bard. She kept her head low but it wasn't long before a third Corsair yanked her head up by her hair, making her groan in pain again, and held it up. Bard could see a large red mark on her cheek from where the one pirate had struck her and his anger boiled hot within him.

"Well, well…," Durgon said with a cunning grin on his face, "what a pretty young thing we have here."

The slyness Bard could hear in his voice almost speaking directly into his ear really set his teeth on edge. "Don't you _dare_ hurt her!" he cried.

"Oh, no, no, no, boy," Durgon replied, pressing his blade closer to Bard's neck, "we will not hurt the girl. Oh no, looking at her, I think she will prove very useful…and I now have _far_ better plans for her."

Hanna practically glared daggers at the Corsair as she could see his grin widening into a very creepy, toothy one that made her skin crawl. Then her gaze met Bard's and they looked at each other with fear in their eyes; fear of what was going to happen to them.

Durgon chuckled loudly, amused by their distress. "You will make a fine addition to our crew, my dear," he said to Hanna with a grin. "It's been a long time since we have had some decent entertainment."

Hanna frantically shook her head. "No…no…!"

"You will not take her, pirate!" Bard snapped warningly.

The pirate just ignored his warning and instead, motioned back with his head and said to the rest of the Corsairs, "Come on, lads. Let's gather the rest of our treasure." He then gestured to the two pirates that held Hanna's arms. "You two, take our lovely new friend back to the ship."

"No!" Bard shouted as he tried to pry his arm that was behind his back free. Hanna screamed as the two men that held her started to pull her forward.

"Say goodbye to your girl," Durgon sneered into Bard's ear.

Then he lifted his sword from the boy's neck and hit him hard over the head with the hilt. Bard grunted from the impact and then slumped to the ground.

"No! Bard!" Hanna cried, pulling against the pirates' grip on her to try and get to him, but they forcefully pulled her back.

On the ground, Bard's head was throbbing, his eyesight was blurry and in just seconds, his world went black, the last sound ringing in his ears being Hanna despairingly crying his name.

* * *

The next thing Bard knew, he was being gently shaken awake. His eyelids felt heavy as they fluttered open. There was something looming over him. Once his eyes adjusted, he realized there was a hooded figure leaning over him. In alarm, he sat up and started crawling backwards to get away.

The hooded figure, however, held up his hands and said calmly, "Do not be afraid, Bard. I am not here to harm you."

Panting from his initial fearful reaction, Bard asked, "How…how do you know my name?" But then, before the stranger could answer, he remembered the last thing he had heard was Hanna's voice and he worriedly began looking around. "Hanna…," he muttered. Then he began to shout her name again.

"The Corsairs already took her moments ago," the stranger said to him.

"How do you know that?" Bard asked him.

The figure then removed his hood. Long, blonde hair fell below his shoulders; he had bright blue eyes and pointed ears. The stranger was an Elf.

"I saw what happened from up in the trees," he answered Bard. "I would have interfered, but I knew if I did, the Corsairs would have surely killed you and your friend. I watched them take her away and then waited until they were far enough away to wake you so they wouldn't hear."

"You just _let_ them take her?!" Bard cried angrily.

"As I said, if I tried to interfere, they would have killed her. Would you have wanted that?"

Bard clenched his jaw, knowing the Elf was right. He growled in frustration and turned away, placing both his hands behind his head and running them through his hair.

"Right now, we must go," said the Elf behind him. "I must take you to my father. He will need to hear of your encounter with the Corsairs."

Bard flipped around just as the Elf was starting to turn to walk away and cried out, "No! I can't do that! I have to go after Hanna; I must save her!"

"There is still time for that," said the Elf, looking back at him, "but the presence of the Corsairs in this part of the world is extraordinarily rare and my people have taken great security measures to ensure they do not cross our borders. Earlier today, a scout reported seeing them in the forest and now this encounter proves that report. I must bring you to my father to give your account; he will need to know of this."

Bard couldn't believe that this Elf was more concerned with telling whoever his father was about the Corsairs attack instead of saving an innocent woman. "Who _is_ your father?" he asked.

The Elf faced him and said, "My father is Thranduil, the Elvenking of the Woodland Realm. I am his son, Legolas."

Surprised, Bard's eyes widened. He had no idea that he had been speaking to the Elf Prince of the Woodland Realm! At least, now it made sense why he made his father sound so important.

But even so, that didn't change Bard's mind about going to save Hanna instead of going to Thranduil. "Please, Legolas…," he said on the verge of begging, "…I cannot abandon Hanna. I know you think your father needs to hear what happened, but the longer I delay going after her, the greater the chances will be of her getting hurt…or worse. It's _my_ fault she was captured in the first place!"

Legolas said nothing but continued to watch him and listen intently.

"Hanna has always believed in the rumors of the Corsairs being seen along the rivers," Bard continued, "and I did not. I came anyways and they really were here. We had not parted on good terms and yet she came after me anyway and tried to save me. I was not strong enough to save _her_ and now she's gone. Who knows what she is enduring right now because of my actions." His gaze turned pleading. "Please, Legolas, she is my best friend…my only friend…and she means the world to me. I have to go after her."

The Elf Prince stared at him for a brief moment, making Bard anxious. Then, after contemplating the young boy's words, he nodded and replied, "Very well, Bard."

Bard sighed, relieved.

Legolas then cried out something in Elvish and suddenly, a group of around six Elves appeared from the treetops and dropped down to the ground, startling Bard. Legolas turned to one of the Elves who came beside and gave him a command in their language. The Elf nodded affirmatively and then ran the opposite direction.

"I have ordered one of my scouts to send a message to the Master of Laketown; to inform him as well as yours and Hanna's parents of what has transpired," Legolas informed Bard.

"Thank you, Legolas," Bard said back.

"You will not go after Hanna alone," Legolas then said. "You will need help. I will go with you, as well as a few of my soldiers. You will not be able to go up against all those pirates on your own." He then gave him a reassuring smile. "We will help save your friend."

Bard saw no reason to argue with that and simply nodded his head in return.

Legolas then held out his hand and one of the other Elves handed him a leather scabbard with a sword and a belt. He took it and handed it to Bard. "You will need this," he told him.

Bard thanked him and then tied the belt around his waist securely.

With that, Legolas gave a cry to the Elves and they began to follow him and Bard down the banks of the river.

Bard, as they ran, had only one thought in mind:

" _Hang on, Hanna. I'm coming."_

 _._

 **How about that? Legolas is now here! xD**

 **And Hanna's been captured by pirates! :O**

 **What did you think? Will Bard and Hanna be able to reconcile after their fight or will it still come between them, even after this ordeal is over? What do you think is going to happen? Whatever thoughts, questions or concerns you may have, leave them in a review or send me a PM! I'm always happy to hear from you :)**

 **Stay tuned! :)**


	5. Rescue

**LOOK WHO'S BACK! :D**

 **Oh my gosh, I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated this story...and I am SO so sorry! :P I lost inspiration for this story, then I got caught up with other stories. If you follow me and all my stories, you'll see I've been updating "The Perfect Crime" a lot lately xD but, just out of the blue, inspiration came back for Hanna and Bard! :)**

 **I know last time, I left you off on a bit of a cliffhanger, but now you need no longer wait!**

 **Enjoy! :)**

 **.**

After the Corsair pirates had abducted Hanna, they tied her hands up, gagged her and threw her into one of their rowboats once they reached the river. They boarded the boats and rowed upriver until they reached where the River Running emptied out into a larger body of water: the Sea of Rhun. Anchored a little ways out into the Sea was a massive black ship with a jagged bow and red sails. They continued to row until they reached the ship. Then they all boarded the ship, one of the pirates roughly pushing Hanna ahead of him.

"Take her down to my quarters and shackle her," Durgon, the Captain, ordered the man who was with Hanna. She was continuing to struggle against the larger man, but he was too strong and kept a firm grip on her arm. He led her down some stairs to the lower deck to a set of double doors. Inside was the Captain's Quarters, which was a large room with many eerie things on the walls: different sorts of evil-looking masks, symbols, weapons, etc. There were boxes and chests of gold and jewels scattered about the room. In the center of the room was a long mahogany table with chairs surrounding it. Near the back of the room was another door.

The larger pirate held Hanna's wrists together with one hand while he untied them with the other, then he pushed her towards a wooden pillar on the side of the room, put her arms around the pillar and locked her wrists in shackles. Then he did likewise with her feet. As he was finishing up, Durgon came strutting into the room, beaming with self-importance.

"That will be all, Borgen," said Durgon, giving the man a dismissive wave.

Borgen bowed his head and said, "Yes, Captain." Then he turned on his heel and left the room.

Durgon eyed Hanna with hunger in his eyes, which made Hanna wholly uneasy. He slowly approached her and then removed the gag from her face. Once it was taken off, Hanna gasped for breath. Durgon then abruptly ran his hand creepily down her face.

Hanna jerked her head away. "Don't you _dare_ touch me!" she spat.

"Ooh…!" Durgon said in a tone that made Hanna even more uncomfortable. Then he grinned maliciously. "You are as feisty as you are pretty."

She gave him a displeased look. "Well then, you're going to think I'm absolutely _gorgeous_ later on once I'm out of these irons and I can show you how feisty I can really be!" she sneered back.

Durgon clicked his tongue at her and wagged a finger. "Tsk, tsk, tsk...now, now, my pet, there is no need for such talk. You will learn to love your shackles."

"I rather doubt that," said Hanna.

"Besides," he continued, "if you _were_ to get out of your irons—which you won't because _I_ have the key—do you really believe you'd be able to overpower all of my men on your own and escape? You're one foolish girl if you think—"

"Who said I was going to fight any of you?" she interrupted him. Then she just shrugged. "No, my plan was to get free of these chains, incapacitate _you_ and then jump overboard."

He shook his head. "You would not get very far," he warned her.

Hanna looked at him defiantly. "You care to make a wager on that?" she asked him. Then she motioned to her wrists and feet with her head. "Unlock all these chains and I'll prove you wrong."

Durgon simply grinned and let out a light "hmph", clearly not buying into her little trick to get him to unlock her shackles. Instead he said nothing, moved away to another corner of the room. There he picked up a bucket of water and a mop and brought it over by Hanna.

He pointed to the mop and bucket. "The floors of this room are filthy." Then his voice changed to a tone of sarcastic politeness. "If you would be a dear, my pet, and mop them for me...I would be most grateful."

Hanna glared at him and replied, "I am not your 'pet'."

The Captain grinned creepily and ran a hand through her long brown hair, making her cringe. "As long as you have shackles on…." Then he grabbed her chin, turned her head to face him and, before she was able to resist, smothered her mouth sloppily with his own, making her squeak in surprise. Luckily for her, his kiss was brief and, when he pulled away, she glowered at him.

His toothy grin spread triumphantly across his face as he finished his previous statement in a snakelike tone, "You _are_ my lovely pet...and I have _wonderful_ plans for you…!"

With that being said, he took hold of the chain binding her wrists and unlocked them. After he took them off and tossed them on the table, he said to her tauntingly, "I'm leaving the chains on your ankles so you won't try to run, but don't worry, you should still be able to move around enough. Enjoy yourself, my dear." Then he laughed evilly at Hanna and walked out the door.

Once he was gone, Hanna ran the back of her sleeve across her mouth and groaned in revulsion. "Why is it that I get either creepy or disgusting men after me…?" she complained out loud to herself, remembering Alfrid back in Laketown. She could still feel the ghostly sensation of Durgon's wet lips on hers and she shuddered in disgust.

She went to the window and looked out. She could make out the shore of the land just a ways a way. There was a latch on the window which meant that she could open it if she wanted to and it was big enough for her to climb out of. The only issue was the chains around her feet. She wouldn't be able to swim ashore with those on even if she tried. Escape seemed just within reach, but Hanna knew that she couldn't go anywhere until she got those shackles off, which would only happen with Durgon's key.

As she lowered her hands from the window, she brushed against something hard underneath her jacket. When she looked, she saw one of the large cooking knives she had taken from home was still attached to her belt.

"Yes!" she quietly cheered. She had something she could use against Durgon when he came next. Knowing now that she had a weapon to defend herself, she began to devise a plan to get herself out of there. As she looked around the room, she remembered the chests and boxes of gold and jewels laying off to the side.

Hanna smirked coyly and thought, _"I've got an idea…!"_

* * *

Back on the shore, Bard, Legolas and the small Elven battalion emerged from the trees and spotted the ship out away from the shore. Trying to avoid being seen for the time being, they all crouched down behind some boulders on the shoreline.

"How are we going to get out there, _hir nin_?" ( ** _"My lord"_** ) one of the Elven soldiers asked Legolas.

"I do not know," he answered. "We have no boats to sail out there and, even if we did, they would see us coming." Then he turned his attention to Bard right next to him. "What do you suggest, Bard?"

"Well, the answer is simple: we have to swim across," Bard answered.

The soldier next to Legolas gave him a curious look. "Will that be possible?" he inquired.

Bard replied, "Aye, it's possible. If we get ourselves low enough beneath the surface and can get as far as we can in one breath, we should be able to get there. That and, by doing that, we should be able to climb the side of the ship."

Legolas nodded and said out loud to his soldiers, "Bard is right. Swimming to the ship is our only choice. It's the fastest way to get to the ship in time to save Hanna before anything happens to her."

Bard couldn't help but clench his fists at the thought of anything being done to Hanna. If he found her harmed in any way, he would kill every pirate on that ship!

"I will suggest one thing:" Legolas then interjected, "we must wait until sunset."

"What? Are you mad?" Bard questioned him, baffled. "The longer we wait, the more we risk the Corsairs sailing away and also hurting Hanna!"

Legolas did not answer for a moment. Instead he stared off in the distance towards the ship. Bard began to wonder what he was doing. Finally, Legolas spoke, "You need not worry, my friend. Your friend, Hanna, is perfectly safe."

Bard was puzzled. "How in the world would you know that?" he asked.

The Elf answered, "Elves have a gift of seeing great distances when we choose. I can see a window on back of the ship and Hanna is sitting by the window, staring outside. I assume that it is the Captain's quarters. It doesn't appear that there's anyone else in the room with her. I believe she is safe, for now. Sunset will be upon us soon, which will give us ideal cover to sneak to the ship. Your friend should be all right until then."

With a groan, Bard answered unsurely, "I just hope you're right."

One of the Elven soldiers suddenly cried out. When Legolas looked to him, he said something in Elvish and pointed out towards the Corsair ship. Legolas peered out and Bard looked, too, squinting his eyes. He couldn't really see anything except for some tiny splashes near the bottom of the ship.

Then Legolas said out loud, "There is a change of plans: we cannot wait until sunset."

"Why? What's going on?" asked Bard.

Legolas looked at him. "Hanna is tossing chests and boxes out of the window and into the water, for reasons obviously unknown. They are floating this way. It will only be a matter of time until anyone in the crew notices them floating away and go down to stop her."

Bard was a little astounded to hear what Hanna was doing. What on earth was she up to?

"Then we must go now!" Bard exclaimed.

"Indeed, we must," Legolas concurred. He stood and quietly gave an order to his men in the Elvish language. The soldiers began likewise sounding their compliance and stood up alongside him. Legolas turned to Bard and said, "My people will go in first. They will fend off the pirates and clear a path for you and I to the Captain's quarters."

Bard gave him a nod. "I cannot thank you and your soldiers enough for helping me," he told him gratefully.

Legolas bowed his head to him. "You are fortunate that I was nearby when the pirates came ashore," he said.

"You can say that again," said Bard. Then his expression turned to one of determination. "All right. We'd better get going."

Legolas cried out another command in Elvish to his soldiers and waved his hand towards the water. The Elves all waded out into the shallow waters one by one and then, when it was about up to their waists, did perfect swan dives into the water.

"After you," said Legolas to Bard, gesturing to the water as the last of the Elves dove underwater.

Bard removed his coat and followed suit of the Elves with Legolas right behind him. Once they were about waist-deep in the sea, they both dove down underneath the water and swam as hard as they could towards the Corsair's ship, ready for a fight.

* * *

Hanna was about to dump the last chest of gold out of the window. She grinned proudly as she saw the other chests and boxes floating away from the ship. It wouldn't be long until Durgon came down demanding what she was doing with his precious treasure. It was then she would make her move and escape.

As she was getting ready to lift the final chest, her grip slipped and when she regained her hold, something fell out. Hanna set the chest back on the ground and stooped down to pick up what had fallen out. It was a silver chain and at the end of it was a small glass case that was cube-shaped with silver frames around each side. There was a tiny little latch near the top and she realized that the case could open. It was a very interesting necklace...and one she could use.

Her hand slipped into her dress pocket and her fingertips brushed over the pearl that Bard had given her. Ever since the day he had given her the pearl as a friendship gift, she had kept it in her pocket every day so it was always with her. She didn't have anything to put it on to wear it...that was, until that very moment.

Normally, Hanna never would've considered stealing from _anyone_ , but since these were pirates, she had no trouble on her conscience stealing from _them_. She plucked open the latch of the necklace and pulled the little lid open. Then she took the white pearl from her pocket, carefully placed it inside and popped the lid back down. Then, with that, she put the necklace around her neck. She admired it for a brief moment. The pearl looked even more beautiful in the necklace and now it could be close to her heart.

It was then she could hear shouting from the deck above followed by stomping footsteps. It was time; the Captain was coming. Quickly, Hanna stuffed the necklace underneath her clothes, moved to the back of the room, pulled the knife from her belt and held it in her hand while subtly hiding it behind her skirts.

The doors burst open and Durgon came barging into the room, seething with anger. The look he had on his face made Hanna take two steps back in apprehension.

He looked over where the treasure used to be, saw the empty space and then stopped in his tracks on the other side of the table. "You foolish girl!" he bellowed. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

Hanna put on a mock innocent face and said in an equal tone, "Oh, I'm sorry...you had asked me to mop the floors and, well, I couldn't do it with all of that mess here, so...I just thought I would lessen the clutter." Then she smirked defiantly. "You didn't need any of that, did you?"

Her obvious defiance and snark really got under Durgon's skin; his eyes lit up with an angry fire, his jaw clenched and his upper lip twitched up as he snarled, striding towards her, "You insolent wench!" Then furiously, he lunged for the young woman.

Hanna's hand thrust out in front of her and her knife met the skin of his face, slicing his left cheek and he turned aside from the force of the blow, crying out in pain. She made another swing, but he saw that one coming and dodged her attack. She staggered towards him and brought the knife above her head, ready to plunge it down into his shoulder, but his own hand shot up and grabbed tightly to her wrist, stopping her. He held her arm in place and she struggled against his own strength. Then the pirate growled and his free hand came up and closed around her throat. She started gasping for air and tried pulling his hand away, but he was too strong. Then she saw an opportunity and took it. As hard as she could, Hanna drove her knee right up into Durgon's groin and his hold on her was immediately released as a high-pitched yelp escaped his throat and he doubled over. While he was incapacitated, she pushed him into one of the chairs behind him. She then noticed that his sword was still in its hilt on his belt. Quickly, before he regained his composure, she switched her knife from her right hand to her left and, using her right one, pulled the sword from its sheath. Then she pointed the sword at his throat and had the knife pointed at him behind it in her other hand.

She had the Corsair Captain cornered.

"I'm as feisty as I am pretty, remember? Right now, I must be a _goddess_ to you," Hanna spat sarcastically. Then her face turned serious. "You've lost, Captain," she stated. "Now hand me the key to my shackles and let me go."

While groaning still from the blow below the belt, he replied, "You put up...quite a fight...but you...are mad...if you think I'm going to give you the key."

"Give it to me!" she demanded again.

He chuckled. "Never," he said.

Frustrated, Hanna decided to up the stakes and show him how serious she was. Keeping the sword pointed at him, she swung her other arm holding the knife out and slashed his bicep. Durgon yelled out and clutched onto the wound.

"I am in no mood for games, Durgon," Hanna told him firmly, "and I will do whatever it takes to get that key and get off this horrid ship. Killing you will make no difference to me. In fact, I will gladly cut you down, if necessary. Now hand me that key or I swear...I will slit you from navel to nose."

Durgon glared at Hanna indignantly, which Hanna didn't mind. She just looked him right in the eye and glared right back, not backing down from her threat.

Right then, they hear shouting followed by footsteps and the sounds of swords clashing outside. Hanna let her guard down as she was taken aback by the sudden noise. Durgon used her distraction to his advantage. He hit his sword out of her hand and swiftly grabbed her other wrist and twisted it behind her back. While she cried in pain, he pried her knife from her hand. Then he wrapped an arm around in front of her shoulders and held the knife to her throat.

"It would appear we have visitors," he hissed in her ear, "and I would wager they're here for _you_. Particularly that one young man whom you tried to save back on land."

Hanna grunted angrily at him mentioning Bard.

He chuckled maliciously again. "You won't be able to save him this time...and _he_ won't be able to save _you_. I look forward to seeing his face when he comes in here and sees that I have you in my clutches."

* * *

Outside, the Elves, Legolas and Bard had climbed the side of the ship and the Elven soldiers had charged directly on board, taking the pirates by surprise. Swords were drawn and a fight commenced. As Legolas and Bard got onto the main deck, most of the pirates were occupied with at least one to two soldiers each.

"Bard, go! Now is your chance!" Legolas cried, drawing an arrow and shooting it from his bow at an oncoming pirate. "We'll hold them off here!"

Bard did not need to told twice. Now that he was on the ship, his only thought was Hanna and finding her immediately. He still couldn't fully believe that he was actually aboard a _Corsair_ pirate ship after the argument he and Hanna had earlier that day.

 _"_ _Once Hanna and I get out of here, I will_ _definitely_ _owe her one!"_ he thought to himself, considering how he had been wrong about the Corsairs and she had been right and his stubbornness had been what had gotten her captured in the first place. He hoped that she would still forgive him for all of that once they had escaped.

There was only one set of doors that he could see which led to a lower deck. That had to be the Captain's quarters where Hanna was. Bard dashed for the doors, parrying an incoming blow or two as he went. He was in no mood to fight anyone; he wanted to get to Hanna as quickly as possible before something happened to her. He would never forgive himself if something _did_ happen to her. He jumped down the stairs and kicked the doors open, with his sword ready in hand. He charged in and stopped right away seeing Durgon holding Hanna with a knife at her neck.

"Bard!" Hanna cried out.

"Hanna!" Bard said back.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Durgon warned Bard tauntingly, his hand holding the knife flinching closer to Hanna's neck. "Take one more step and your lovely girl won't live to see another day."

"Let her go, Durgon!" said Bard, brandishing his sword.

"You're not really in a position to negotiate, young man...," Durgon replied, "because _I_ hold the only thing worth bargaining for."

"You won't get away with this," Bard told him threateningly.

Durgon's eyebrows raised. "Do you want to try that and see how it all turns out?" he inquired. "Do you really want to risk your friend losing her life?"

Bard clenched his jaw in frustration. Seeing Hanna being held captive was horrible enough, but knowing that if he tried anything, she would surely be killed, was eating him alive. He wanted to rescue her, but he couldn't risk her getting hurt because of him. He just couldn't. Not Hanna, his best friend.

Reluctantly, Bard sighed in defeat and lowered his sword.

"Bard, no!" Hanna exclaimed.

Durgon just let out an evil laugh. "There's a good lad," he said. Then he tilted his head up and said, "Now, here is what you're going to do, Bard: you are going to stand aside and let me and your little friend here out so we can get off this ship. Do that and no harm shall come to her and I will spare your life."

Bard glared at him angrily. "I don't trust you, pirate," he spat. "How do I know you won't go back on your word?"

"You _can't_ know, can you?" Durgon answered. "Unless you'd rather test it and end up seeing Hanna's lifeless body on the floor." Then his eyes narrowed. "Now go outside and tell your men to stand down."

"They are not mine to command," Bard replied.

Durgon gave him a look that said he clearly didn't believe him. " _You_ brought them here, so they are _your_ men," he countered, "Now tell them to stand down or I _will_ cut this girl's throat in front of you!"

"You're despicable, Durgon," Hanna sneered.

"I know...it's just part of my pirate charm," Durgon said back, close to her ear. He turned back to Bard and bellowed, "Do as I say, boy!"

Warily, Bard turned to the door, keeping his eye on Durgon until his neck couldn't turn anymore. Then he faced back to the door and went to open it. Cautiously, he grasped the door handle and turned it, looking back at Durgon as he did so. He was grinning triumphantly, seeing Bard doing as he asked and thinking he was going to be escaping soon. Bard grimaced and then stepped outside.

Hanna struggled again against Durgons grip, but he only held her tighter and pressed the knife harder against her skin. "Don't even try anything, girl," he hissed in her ear. "Once you and I are off this ship, I am never letting you out of my sight."

"Good luck," Hanna replied. "I can be sly and sneak out of sight when I want to."

"Yet you still have shackles around your ankles," he reminded her. "Even if you tried, you would not get very far before I would find you again."

It was then they heard Bard call out outside the door, "Men! Stand down! Please, stand down! The Captain is coming out of his quarters and he wants no quarrel with any of you. He has Hanna with him. Lower your weapons and let him withdraw from his ship in peace."

 _"_ _He_ _has_ _to have a plan,"_ Hanna thought to herself. _"There's no way he could actually be letting Durgon take me away."_

Bard then came back to the room, looking downfallen. "The attack has ceased," he told Durgon.

"Good…!" Durgon crooned. Then he looked down at Hanna and asked, "Shall we go now, my lovely pet?"

She growled, "I would rather clean your floors with my tongue than go anywhere with you!"

"Well, if you had done that in the first place instead of throwing all of my treasure out the window, we wouldn't be in this situation, now would we?" Durgon replied patronizingly. He then glared at Bard as he moved Hanna forward. "We will be leaving now without any interference, do you hear me?"

Bard hung his head. "Aye…," he answered quietly.

"Good," Durgon sneered. He kept moving Hanna towards the doors, keeping his eyes on Bard to make sure of no sudden movements. The Corsair Captain began moving up the stairs backwards, dragging Hanna with him and still watching Bard who was following him. "You really thought you would win and rescue your friend," he taunted him as he found footing on the upper deck, "but you are no match for the Corsairs. Your men have been ordered to stand down and you are helpless to save her!"

"They are not men nor are they _his_."

The Captain heard another voice and whipped around. He was stunned to discover all of his crew were dead on the floor of the ship, their bodies surrounded by Elven soldiers. That and he was also face to face with Legolas, standing a few feet away with his bow out and an arrow aimed right at him.

Legolas grinned at Durgon triumphantly and added to his first statement, "They are Elves...they did not and _will_ not stand down because they are _mine_ to command."

Then, without another word, the Elven Prince fired his arrow, which hit Durgon in the hand that held the knife at Hanna's throat. He yelled in pain and dropped the knife to the ground. Hanna, seizing the opportunity, elbowed him hard in the stomach and caused him to double over to his knees. Then she turned around and spotted Bard standing outside the doorway to the Captain's quarters.

"Bard!" she cried, sprinting towards him.

"Hanna! I'm here!" Bard replied, holding out his open arms to her and pulling her close once she reached him. He could feel her shaking and he stroked her hair to comfort her. "It's all right," he whispered. "I've got you. You're safe now."

Legolas approached Durgon, who was on his knees clutching his bleeding hand with the arrow still piercing it. The Elf put this bow back in its quiver, withdrew a long, white knife and then pointed it at the Corsair Captain.

"Your time is over," he declared. "You will not hurt anyone ever again."

"Do you know who you're speaking to, Elf?" Durgon questioned through gritted teeth. "I am Durgon, a well-renowned Captain of the Corsairs in the South!"

Legolas brought his knife closer. "You, sir, do not know to whom _you_ speak," he stated back, "for _I_ am Legolas, son of the Elvenking, Thranduil, and Prince of the Woodland Realm."

Durgon's eyes widened at the realization of who Legolas was and that he was in deep trouble.

Without waiting, Legolas swung his knife and slashed the Corsair Captain through the chest. His lifeless body slumped over, still wide-eyed down to the floor.

Legolas looked to Bard ahead of him, who was still holding onto Hanna.

"It's over now, Hanna," Bard said in Hanna's ear. "Durgon is dead."

Hanna breathed a sigh of relief into his chest.

"Bard, Hanna!" Legolas called out. "The two of you, get into one of the boats. I will accompany you back."

Bard bowed his head and both he and Hanna climbed into one of the boats and started lowering it down into the water.

Legolas ordered his shoulders to man the other boats and follow behind them. Then, with his orders understood, Legolas climbed atop the banister of the ship and slid down the rope that led down to Hanna and Bard's boat.

"Are you both all right?" asked Legolas.

Bard nodded.

Hanna nodded, too, and added, "Just a bit shaken, but I managed." Then she looked at Bard. "How did you manage to get the _Prince_ of Mirkwood to help you rescue me?"

Bard snickered. "I got lucky," he simply replied.

Legolas added, "I happened to be nearby when I saw you were attacked and taken by those pirates."

Now understanding better, Hanna said to him, "I offer my sincerest gratitude to you, Legolas."

The Elf Prince merely bowed his head, respectfully, and then took up an oar and started rowing.

Then Bard leaned forward and said to Hanna shamefully, "Hanna, I am so... _so_ sorry...for everything! It was my fault that you were captured. If only I had listened to you and not came boating out here, then none of this would've happened."

"Do not blame yourself. _I_ don't," replied Hanna.

"I should never have said the things I did to you," said Bard with a sad look.

Hanna shook her head. "Me neither. We both said things we didn't mean out of frustration...but I'm willing to put it all behind us if you are."

Bard smiled. "Absolutely."

Then Legolas spoke to them, "Forgive me...but I must ask something of you both."

"What is it?" asked Bard.

"Before you return to Laketown," Legolas told them, "I must ask you to come with me back to the Woodland Realm so you may speak with my father and tell him of your encounter with the Corsairs. Their presence in these parts of Middle-Earth is rare and somehow, despite our security, they managed to trespass. My father will wish to know what happened in order to take more secure precautions in the future."

Bard remembered Legolas mentioning that to him before, just before they left to save Hanna. Originally, the Elf had wanted them to speak to Thranduil before saving Hanna, but Bard convinced him to help him save his friend first. Now that Legolas was bringing it up again, he figured it was only fair for them to agree to Legolas's request.

"We will go with you," Bard responded to him.

"We are?" Hanna questioned.

"Aye," Bard answered. "That is what Legolas wanted me to do at first, but I convinced him to help me save you from the Corsairs. It's only fair that we return the favor."

Hanna understood where he was coming from and agreed. "Very well," she said, "but first…." She turned around to look at the riverbank to the River Running, which they were fast approaching, and spotted all of Durgon's boxes and chests that she had thrown out the window of the Corsair ship had washed ashore.

She smirked, satisfied, to herself and finished, "We've got some treasure to load up."

.

 **Yay! :D**

 **It's been great getting back to Hanna and Bard :) There will be some more twists and surprises coming up! Just stay tuned and I promise to update this story more often :)**

 **Leave your thoughts in a review or PM me! :)**

 **Love ya'll!**


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